It is not so much the destination as the voyage itself that matters.

February 17, 2019

.... and Bill for going there with me on Valentine's Day. Especially because he would rather walk on boardwalks than on sand. I'm not a Beach person either, in the way that many Florida natives and snowbirds are -- neither of us enjoy lazing about on the beach, getting a tourist sunburn. But unlike my significant other (of over 60 years), I do love a quiet beach where I can walk for miles (or yards), occasionally dipping my toes in the water.

And it's even more perfect when I find birds! This is a Reddish Egret. They are fun to watch because in addition to being beautiful, they put on a great show, kind of dancing in the shallow water to stir up prey.

This season, Little Blue Herons seem to be the bird that shows up everywhere we go. That's OK with me -- I am happy observing birds no matter how often I've seen them. And it's nice when they pose prettily with their reflection.

A couple of pictures to show size perspective. On top, brown pelican with terns. I can't ever get over thinking it looks as if the big gawky pelicans are watching over the smaller birds .... but really, I'm sure it was just a good resting spot. The lower picture is a Little Blue Heron and a Reddish Egret ignoring each other.

It was a perfect Valentine's Day (at least in my opinion!).

A couple of catch-up thank-yous from earlier posts: Last week, I asked if anyone could identify these edible red pods that were for sale at the Immokalee Farm Market. Denise of An English Girl Rambles did the research I should have done and identified them as Guaje Seed Pods.

Guaje Seed Pods

Click here to go to the link that Denise provided. The plant is native to Oaxaca Mexico and its seeds can be eaten raw or used in cooking. If you go to the link, you will see that the pods are identical to the ones in the picture. Thank you again Denise (and if we go to Immokalee again when Guaje Seeds are still in season, I will try them and let everyone know how they taste.

This bird was one of those we saw on a rainy-day drive a few weeks ago. I thought maybe it was some type of sandpiper but learned from several comments that it was a Yellowlegs (either Greater or Lesser). I hope I see one of these guys again soon, so I can identify it on my own and then it will count as a first-time bird! Thanks to Phil of Another Bird Blog and Anne of Creative Cornucopia for pointing me in the right direction.

Thank you to everyone who reads these posts, especially to those who take the time to comment. And as always thanks to the hosts of the sharing sites that make it so much easier to connect.

February 10, 2019

I read our hometown Oregon paper on line every morning. This weekend, it has been somewhat disorienting to see front-page pictures of the record-breaking Pacific Northwest snowstorm just after returning from a walk in 65 degree weather. We're thankful to be here in SW Florida and feeling sympathy for family in the middle of that real winter. (People in the PNW are really not used to that kind of weather. Usually it just rains.)

February morning near home

My weekend walk here in SW Florida was in sixty-five degree sunshine at 7:30 in the morning. The days get warmer.... but so far we haven't needed the dreaded A/C except on days when we're away from home all day. When we're home (or around the neighborhood) our doors are open onto the screen porch and the ceiling fans are at work all day.

Red-bellied woodpecker and mockingbird

By the end of next month, when early morning temperatures start at 75 F, air-conditioning will be something to be grateful for. For now we're happy to let natural breezes cool things down.

Palmetto fans.

All of the above pictures were taken on a morning walk on the Live Oak Trail, Caloosahatchie Nature Preserve. The preserve is next door to the resort where we live and there's a path between so it's not necessary to be out on the street. This whole walk, from our house and back was only a mile and a half. There are longer trails within the preserve, but this was before breakfast and so I took the shorter trail. (I get hungry.)

Earlier in the week we drove with friends to Everglades City. We made a short stop at the farm and market town of Immokalee.

This is one of one of my favorite produce stands. Visiting Immokalee is kind of like taking a short trip to another country; I love that we can have this experience slightly less than an hour from home. Most restaurants and some smaller groceries and markets in the Fort Myers area buy their produce from vendors here, but almost all of the stands will also sell smaller quantities to individuals. It's a good way to purchase favorites and also to try new and unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. (But a little too far to go for regular weekly shopping).

We didn't buy much this time, because we were going to walk around at our final destination and it was kind of warm to leave big boxes of fruit and vegetables in the car.

I thought these bundles were such a pretty color. I asked the lady at this stall what you do with this pod... she said you eat the seeds. She told me the name too, but I can't remember it. Does anybody know? (I might want to try this next time we visit.)

We went to Everglades City to check out a Marina Resort there as a base for a possible future boat excursion. And to enjoy the company and the scenery -- and of course to find a good restaurant! I didn't take a single picture. The entrance to the National Park is about 90 miles from our house, so it's a doable day-trip. But it is a huge Park and such a short visit doesn't allow much time for nature photography. Staying overnight is always better! This photo of the River of Grass (the everglades) is from an earlier trip.

February 03, 2019

The Florida winter weather we know and love is back and we had a great day for a walk at Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.

I'm not sure how it's possible that it took almost two months before we found time for our first visit of the season.

I'm grateful to those who preserved this area for all to use. It's perfect for a close-to-home walk -- just a short visit, but part of one of life's great adventures.

The turtles seemed in awe of the Great Blue Heron, who is King of the Raft. The Cormorant must be the court jester.

The Downy Woodpecker was just one of several flitting though the brush. Lots of small perching birds too. Too flitty for my camera skills, but fun to see and identify.

White Ibis posing as a tree-top ornament. Ibis are very common around here, even in developed areas. But they look so much better in natural surroundings.

Another Great Blue, making a huge racket. There were quite a few people on the Boardwalk, but it was really nice because on this day everyone seemed happy to quietly enjoy nature. You could hear birds singing (and squalling) and very little human noise.

Something to see everywhere. We looked up, we looked out, and didn't forget to look down.... When we did we saw this baby Cottonmouth enjoying the sunshine. And getting ready to shed his first skin. (We were safe on the Boardwalk above it, but in any case he was paying no attention.)

Six-Mile is one of our most familiar walks, but there is always something different. This time, it was evident that our weather has been rainier than usual. Parts of the preserve that are usually dry or almost dry during the winter were more like lakes on this day. This must be more like the way the Slough looks during the summer, which is Florida's wet season.

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the generous hosts.

January 27, 2019

It's raining in Southwest Florida and it feels chilly. I wouldn't dare say it was cold because in comparison to much of the rest of the country it really isn't. We are only catching the very tail end of this widespread cold front.

Morning on the Canal from the back porch -- early in the week, before the rains hit.

But not too surprisingly, ten winters in Florida mean our bodies are used to subtropical Winter temperatures -- when we first moved here, we laughed (to ourselves) when people complained about 40 degree nights and 65 degree winter days. We have now officially joined the crowd. I'm grateful to live where we can go outside to play almost all Winter.

Pictures from a quick stop on a cloudy day at our local eagle's nest. There are two one-month old eaglets in the nest and as every year for the last 7, the property owners have set up a nest cam. (It is here.) The fallen snag which is a few yards from the nest tree was full of little black birds making a huge racket. A few of them were perched on the same tree as Harriet (or maybe it is her mate -- I can never tell them apart). The Eagles do eat smaller birds sometimes, but I guess the blackbirds weren't worried.

I thought the pictures above would be it for this week, because it has been so wet out. But today (Sunday) we decided to go for a drive in spite of the pouring rain. The car made a great blind for drive-by birding.

The wood storks like it when the ditches flood -- it's easy for them to find prey.

All of these birds (and more) were just along the roadside as we drove, but our actual destination was to check the progress at Babcock Ranch, a planned town that is being built near us. It is billed as America's first solar powered town. Here's a link to their website. It really does seem like the developers know what they're doing.

The pictures on the left are from the solar panel field that supplies their power. The Ranch's nature trail is open to the public and when the weather improves walking it is definitely on the must-do list.

Our Sunday drive made this rainy day more fun -- it was a good week and a good start to the next one (and the weather IS supposed to improve soon).

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to all of the hosts.

January 20, 2019

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located near the entrance of Sanibel Island, about 25 miles from our Florida home. It's a national treasure, like all our National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.

Roseate Spoonbills with a White Ibis or two hanging around with them

During this time of the government shutdown (one more part of our current National embarrassment), this particular refuge is being kept open (so far at least) by volunteers from the Ding Darling Wildlife Foundation. We took the wildlife drive through the center of the refuge one evening last week. It's a one-way drive-through with lots of pull-outs for birding; we got out of the car at every one of them.

Little Blue Heron

The picture at the top was the crowning glory of this particular birding excursion. I could not stop smiling at that big group of Spoonbills with their beautiful pink wings and pink reflections. But all of the birds along the way were great. The picture above and those below are in the order we spotted them. The Little Blue came out of the mangroves as we got out of the car at the first stop and headed for the water.

White Pelicans

It was good to see quite a few White Pelicans. Both the white and brown ones were in possible danger earlier in the year (last summer, before we got here) because of SW Florida's red tide and green algae bloom. Both caused fish die-off and fish, of course, are the diet for these water birds.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Two views of the same Night Heron perching in the mangroves -- maybe just waking up for a busy night ahead.

Night Herons roost during the day. At night they forage in shallow ponds and marshes. I wasn't as close to this bird as the pictures look. Zoom lenses are so much fun.

A pair of Wood Storks across the water. We also saw a lot of small shorebirds at this stop, but they were too far away for good pictures, even with that lens. (Storks are big birds -- about 40 inches long)

Our last and most exciting stop was where we saw the group of Roseate Spoonbills also shown in the first picture. This is the non-zoomed view -- so, the way we first spotted them. We have never seen so many Spoonbills at once. Usually they are solitary or in groups of two or three, at least when we see them.

Meanwhile, back home in the Canal Cottage, skies are almost always beautiful. And we've pretty much finished the nagging little first-of-the-season home improvement tasks -- so there is even more time to enjoy them. Always grateful.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to all of the hosts.

January 13, 2019

Here are some non-Christmasy scenes from our December trip to Mt Dora in Central Florida. (Mt Dora Christmas post is here.)

We had a great Holiday brunch at Lakeside Inn. Built in 1883, it is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the State of Florida. The grounds extend to Lake Dora and it is easy to imagine yourself back in that year strolling under the live oak trees, dripping with moss.

There is documented history of a number of well-known people who stayed at the Hotel over the years, mostly coming for the fishing and also (I'm guessing) for the winter sunshine. Rumor also has it that Al Capone was staying here incognito on the day of the Valentine's Day Massacre. I wouldn't be too surprised to learn that there are other places who lay claim to this dubious honor.

Great Egret

In Florida there are always opportunities for casual birding. We found these birds at the dock while we waited to board either the boat or the tram for our Christmas lights tour.

Common Gallinule (Moor Hen)

We did a little downtown window shopping one morning on our way to find some breakfast. And all I brought back was the photo souvenir below.

I'm sure our "climb" will impress family and friends from the mountainous states of Colorado and Oregon. Sadly, I neglected to get a picture of the view from the top.

OK, you can stop laughing. The "Mount" referred to in the town's name actually came from the fact that the town is built on a plateau 184 feet about sea level. Florida is really a flat state.

Comical birds in Mt Dora. The black vultures on the rooftop were not at all intimidated by the fake owl placed there to deter them. And the Great Egret, who really doesn't belong downtown, was pretty funny as he seemed to look both ways before crossing this street as if he owned it.

Ending with another beautiful sunset on the Lake.

We had a good time visiting Mt Dora. We went because the travel planner (Bill) had read about the Christmas light display and it really was amazing. And in addition to glorious holiday displays, it really was a great little town with lots to do and see -- I'm sure it would be charming in any season.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

January 06, 2019

We've been retired for about a hundred years and I've almost forgotten that let-down feeling of "after the holidays" because every day is sort of a vacation, especially here in Florida. But this year we got back to a few little snags at the Canal Cottage -- each one fixable, each one time-consuming -- especially for the other person in this small household. I just kind of wait around to help on an as-needed basis. But it feels like back to work after a couple of lovely Holiday getaways. I'm grateful we had the time off together and with friends and I'm especially grateful that we don't have to call for repair-persons to fix said snags. I'm also glad to have taken lots of pictures on our outings because home repairs don't make for good blogging material.

Pink Shell Beach December 31

The last sunset of 2018. It would be a better post if I'd gotten up early enough the next morning to see the first sunrise of the New Year. But the gently rocking boat is conducive to sleeping late. That and we did actually stay up to welcome in the New Year. There were fireworks on Fort Myers Beach at midnight! I did not take pictures of those either.

Great Egret

The birds on the beach at nearby Bowdich Point were the usual suspects, but that doesn't make them less interesting to watch.

Snowy Egret

Is he investigating this beach-goers belongings? Or maybe he just wishes they weren't there in his way to wherever he's going. (The beach was surprisingly uncrowded and there were acres of empty sand. So I think he was just curious.)

Snowy Egrets are also known as 'Yellow Slippers' and this one is apparently shaking the sand off of his.

Little Blue Heron

This heron was actually sharing space with us at the Pink Shell Boat dock. We saw him every morning patrolling the shallows opposite from where we were tied up.

Sandy scenes from a walk along the beach and some more of that fabulous sunset. I always enjoy seeing the Florida version of a snowman (sand-man?). I thought the beach grass hair was a cute touch.

How we got to Pink Shell Resort for our New Year getaway.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. With thanks to the hosts.

December 16, 2018

We joined the flying people at the Eugene Airport this year, so we've been in Florida for almost two weeks now. Our flight day was loooong .... and crowded. I wish I could say we had as much fun as these people in our airport's iconic photo montage panels. We didn't -- but we're here and although we're still in the process of getting re-oriented and re-organized, we're getting there. We even had time last week for a short nature hike.

Roseate Spoonbill

We are more than happy to be grounded for awhile, but it was good to see some of of our favorite Florida creatures for whom flight comes more easily.

It was already quite dry at Wild Turkey Strand Preserve. (Winter is the dry seasons in Florida.) So several species of birds were congregated around the little bit of water remaining. They were quite far away and the wind was blowing which made photography difficult. But it was great to be out walking.

Meanwhile, back at the Canal Cottage ... while we're getting the house into shape for the season, we have had some entertainment outside our door.

This Marine Company has been repairing seawall damage caused by Hurricane Irma (yeah, the one that happened a year ago last September -- we call it Florida time). The project started before we left last season and was only completed last week. So the company could finally move their equipment somewhere else and one morning this tugboat pulled the work barge loaded with heavy equipment right past our house. It's not the usual Canal sighting.

The men obviously knew what they were doing and mostly stayed in the middle. But the canal isn't real wide and I was glad we hadn't put our boat in the water yet. The man on the barge had to use his pole a couple of times, to push out away from some of them that were docked.

So the Canal is back to normal now and we are glad to be living on it for the season. We look forward to more beautiful days here in the land of Winter sunshine.

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to all of the hosts.